So, my father-in-law has had this 1976 F-250 Trailer Special for years, they used to tow a pontoon boat down to Lake Powell from SLC a few times a year with it. In recent years, it has been relegated to occasional use when someone in the family needs a large vehicle for something.

My wife and I have asked if we can take on bringing it back up to a good standard for use as a long-term project for getting a travel trailer at some point.

So, here it is, in all its current glory:



The plate shows, from what I can tell:



F25 = '73-'79 2 wheel drive pickup (F250)
J = '73-'79 8cyl 460 4-bbl.
K = Assembled in Kansas City
A31399 = 31,399th built that year in that plant?
155 = 155" wheelbase
ZM = Copper Metallic paint (Z) - don't know what the M is
F257 = F250 2WD pickup with 6850 GVWR
BUM = F100/350 (81A, E) Regular and Super Cab Tan all vinyl - don't know what the M is again
G = 3-speed automatic (C4?)
C7J = 3.54 Dana 60 w/Limited Slip and p/s
Max GVWR of 7100#
Ordered in 1976 in Salt Lake City.

Have I decoded that correctly, apart from the Ms in the color code and body code sections?

 

Transmission should be a C6

Nice truck!

 

Originally: Great Salt Lake City .. Utah = Deseret.

 

Thanks!

Could it've been ordered with prep for a/c but not factory-fitted? There's four vents in the face of the dash, no a/c setting on the control panel, no a/c tubes through the firewall, and what looks like an extra pulley on the front of the engine?

 

I don't see any evidence that this truck originally had A/C

3 completely different types of A/C were available for 1973/79 F100/350's & 1978/79 Bronco's:

1) Factory installed integral A/C is combined with the heater. The A/C controls are in the same panel as the heater controls.

The HUGE A/C evaporator case is located at the right rear corner of the engine compartment.
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2) Deluxe dealer installed A/C is combined with the heater. The two A/C switches are located on the HUGE dash bezel that sweeps across the entire right side of the dash, covering up the glove box.

There is a 'hang-on' glove box bolted to the bottom of the dash.
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3) Economy dealer installed A/C is not combined with the heater. The two A/C switches are located in a panel that also contains two A/C registers.

This panel fits into the dash to the left of the glove compartment.

 

1) Nope, nothing on heater control panel for a/c, so not factory install. Unless I missed it, nothing in engine bay in front of driver either for a/c



2) Normal glove box present, so not deluxe dealer install



3) Just vents in the panel to the left of the glove box, so not economy dealer-install either.

I'll be ordering my sheet from martiauto probably next weekend, so I'll see then if there are any clues

 

Marti Report won't say anything inre to dealer installed accessories.

No evidence of A/C compressor or mounting bracket, no A/C condenser located in front of the (460 standard equipment) Super Cooling radiator.

The radio is aftermarket, the antenna is an auto parts store replacement. Radios were optional, so it may not have come with one originally, but if it did, Marti will say so.

In the late 1980's, Ford was going to THROW AWAY all the 1967/79 FoMoCo records.

Kevin Marti, a Mustang/Shelby "nut" in Phoenix AZ found out and got ALL of it.

 

Nice truck. How does it drive? If it drives OK and not super high miles, a good candidate for a "rolling restoration" I believe. First is safety... steering, brakes, tires. Also catch up all basic maintenance and make sure the fuel system and cooling system are happy.

Then body and other stuff.

It will take some money + sweat equity for this... but with new PU's at $40k+ a good deal I think... and a great truck.

 

It drives OK - well, when I say drive, I mean pilot - it does tend to tack down the road, so going through the steering will be high on the priority list like bushings, rag joint, probably a RedHead power steering gear box.

It brakes fine unladen, tires are 235/85R16 Load Range E but I'll have to check the date code next time I'm over there.

New Edelbrock 1405 carb was fitted a couple years ago.

Last emissions results:

 

Wheels have previously been converted to 16"... that's good. OE was 16.5" and hard to find tires for those now.

 

All the pics from a couple weekends ago are on my Smugmug gallery.

Lots of work needed, obviously, and still some strange questions in my head.

First one was a/c vents on the dash, but no a/c

Hard to see, but above the passenger side rear wheel is this hose/tube (top of picture in the shadow):



Any ideas?

I seem to recall it having twin tanks, but the heater control panel doesn't have the electric switch on the right hand side (next to warm/defrost) which it appears a '76 should have.



Standard pulley, or pulley for a/c compressor or something, missing the drive belt?

 

Since there is no switch in the dash for aux tank, I'm guessing the fill pipe on the passenger side is for an aftermarket tank.

I can't see from that angle, but if the bottom pulley has three grooves, it's probably for AC. I think the groove for the alternator is closest to the block

 

Some models would have come with an air pump too, but likely not your heavy duty and 460 equipped truck. However, you never know about that stuff!
And usually the ones I've seen with Thermactor systems (the air pump and stuff) had the pump driven off of the alternator on smaller engines, but directly from the crank on others.
My '79 F350 has one driven from the crank, but with a very thin belt.

Mine also does not have the tank switch. The PO installed a factory tank (thankfully!) so it's just got a valve and a toggle switch on the dash.
Mine does have A/C though. And like said, you'd KNOW it! It's such a beast and kind of hard to service, that many years ago a leaky heater core led to a full engine rebuild while I was at it!

Paul

 

Weirdly, there is no white on it - wouldn't that imply a white roof or something?

So, 7100 GVWR, with a 5300 lb rear axle - the brochure for 76 seems to imply a rear springs rated to 4500 lb, and a front springs rated to 2900 lb, with a front axle of 3500 lb. That's for the basic Supercab with the 8ft bed - did the trailer special increase those?

 

Is it a "real" Trailer Special as it is a '76?

This is the badge on the fender: